Pakistan Fall To Rejuvenated England

England thrashed the inconsistent Pakistani side by 330 runs at the Old Trafford in Manchester. Dropping Jake Ball and Steve Finn and picking James Anderson and Ben Stokes for the second test match proved to be the difference in the second test match and helped England level the series 1-1.

Not picking James Anderson in the first test of the 5 match series had proved costly for the English Cricket side as they lost by 75 runs. But they did not repeat the mistake in the the second test as the spearhead returned to action in the Old Trafford test. Anderson looked shaky in the first innings but proved his worth in the 2nd innings as he looked in full flow.The paceman took 3 crucial wickets in the 2nd innings to torment the Pakistan batting.

Joe Root also proved his worth with a beautifully compiled double ton in the first innings.The innings consisted of a few glorious drives, glances and pulls . The batting mainstay of the young English side hit a total of 27 fours in his wonderful 254.This was his 2nd double ton, first coming two years back in Lord’s against Sri Lanka. He was adjourned as the Man Of The Match for his magnificent innings.
Chris Woakes continued his purple patch with the ball as he grabbed 4 wickets in the first innings and 3-er in the the second. The young speedster proved to be a decisive weapon for Cook as he provided many crucial breakthroughs to his side. Ending Misbah’s resistance in the 2nd innings was one of the most crucial interception made by the young cricketer. The young talent took his wicket tally to 19 in 2 matches, which is his highest in a series.

On the other hand, Yasir Shah, Pakistan’s hero from first match failed to hold his rhythm in 2nd test match and could manage only one wicket in the 2nd test match .